Background
Sabri was a professor of English literature at Baghdad University, before serving in the press office of Iraq's embassy in London. He was recalled from the embassy in 1980 after two of his brothers were arrested for plotting against Saddam Hussein's regime. Thereafter, Sabri served as editor of an English language newspaper and translated English books into Arabic.
During the 1991 Persian Gulf War, Sabri served as the Deputy Information Minister for Iraq. His interactions with CNN producer Robert Weiner were dramatized in the HBO film Live From Baghdad, where his character was listed as Naji Al-Hadithi. CNN became famous after delivering live audio and video footage from within a Baghdad hotel even as the American military was bombing the city.
In 1998, Sabri was appointed Iraq's ambassador to Austria. In 2001, he was named Foreign Minister of Iraq. His education, almost flawless English, and comfort in diplomatic circles continued to make him one of Iraq's most recognized faces in the West. He is a Sunni Muslim.
Read more about this topic: Naji Sabri
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